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Why rap needs to step up in the wake of the Zimmerman verdict

Since George Zimmerman’s acquittal for the murder of Trayvon Martin, the reaction within the hip-hop community has ranged from long-winded Twitter rants to total silence.

While rappers like Lupe Fiasco, Immortal Technique and Phonte have been vocal about the verdict and what it says about the value of black life in this society, far too many high-profile stars have said nothing.

Kanye West, for example, positioned himself as a new age revolutionary on Yeezus, but his revolutionary spirit seems to have disappeared since he stepped out of the booth; his last tweet as of this writing was a link to a GQ article about his new creative direction. Jay-Z recently took to Twitter to connect with fans as a promotional stunt for Magna Carta Holy Grail, but we haven’t heard a peep from him about arguably the most important court decision of our generation.

To be fair, Kanye West and Jay-Z use Twitter sparingly, if at all. But it’s telling that both superstars have recently used the medium to promote their new projects but not to protest a gross miscarriage of justice. Their silence on this issue speaks to a broader silence in hip-hop on issues that matter…continue reading at theGrio.